Pain of Wembley brings motivation for Rosenior

DEFEAT in the FA Cup final felt “almost like phyiscal pain” to Liam Rosenior.

But, a few days on from suffering Wembley heartache, the Hull City full-back admits the prospect of European competition next season is already one which sets his pulse racing.

Hull City's Liam Rosenior

“It is great to think of Hull City in Europe,” said Rosenior. “A lot of fans have told me they are getting their passports ready and that is what football is about, making people proud and dreaming about things.

“We want to do it again and grow. We can’t sit still and pat ourselves on the back, instead we have got to go again stronger next year.”

Hull may have lost the Cup final to Arsenal in heart-breaking fashion after racing into a two-goal lead inside eight minutes. But the Yorkshire club certainly won a lot of friends around the globe for the huge contribution they made to a truly epic final. Rosenior added: “Every fan who watched on television would know that, no matter what goes on, on the field of play we give everything and I think that is all you can ask for.

“When you go to Wembley, you want to win. Arsenal are a great team and credit to them. But, as a professional footballer, our job is to win and unfortunately we didn’t do that.

“But it can still give us confidence that next year we can fight against these teams and give them a good game. You can’t savour defeat. But when I look back and am old and grey, I will know when I joined this club, it was on the brink of liquidation, not even adminstration. Credit to the Allams (Hull’s owners) for coming to the football club and bringing the manager here.”

On the defeat to Arsenal, Rosenior added: “It was almost like a physical pain. You dream as a little boy to lift that trophy and for it not to happen like that, well I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. But maybe, you never know, it could happen that we go back (to Wembley) again and we come back stronger next year.

“All I was thinking when I was walking up and back down those steps (after the final to collect his medal) was, ‘Am I going to come back again’. Hopefully, I will be able to do that.”